The FW came down to the river today with the hopes of getting in some daylight fishing. I was finishing up tossing the life jackets in the boat when she came over and asked if I was forgetting something. Dearest Wife I said, “I don’t forget anything”. When I turn around to look at her, she was holding her PINK cat fishing rod she received for her birthday/mothers day. OK, I didn’t know if she was coming down. How was I to know to bring it?? 
I checked in with our neighboring campers that just came in. By the looks of their two 5 gallon pails of channels, I felt the FW would have a good day.
We didn’t get on the water until close to 2 pm. Patchy clouds that kept it cool but when the sun came out it sure became hot! I mentioned with the cool air below and the hot sun above, we could be in for some storms.
I positioned the boat on the outside edge of a current seam and started baiting up.
The first two rods will have Sudden Impact fiber bait that I’ve been having good luck with since I started using it this spring. To conform with MN Regulations, I used a 3/0 Double Action hook with 1/2 of a Dead Red bait tube. To hold all this on the bottom of the river, I used a 4 oz sink.
The last rod to be set out was Deb’s PINK rod and I thought I would change it up a little by using the same rigging but with Secret 7 stink bait.
No sooner did I have Deb’s rod in the holder when it bend over. Since the Favorite Wife was mooseing around in the boat and not paying attention, I asked her if she was ever going to reel in her fish? That got me a “look”.
First fish of the day came in on the PINK birthday gift. Worked out pretty well. In fact, that was the hot rod of the day!
For whatever reason, the rods with Sudden Impact were dead and all action was from Deb’s Secret Seven rod. Well I had to see if it was the bait or what. Rigged up the other two rods with Secret Seven and they immediately started to get bite. I was told there are times this would happen. I kinda blew it off, if they bite on I was sure they would bite the other.
The one that got away was again on Deb’s rod. After a good fight, Deb’s fish came unbuttoned at the boat. Guesstimated a roughly 12 pounds.
All the while Deb was bringing in fish, I was watching the clouds to the West. They were moving more North than East and I wasn’t too worried. Then the Sirrus Inland Weather lightening alarm of telling me we had lightening 15 miles away. I zoomed out on the GPS and looked at the storm tracks. I told Deb that the storm would miss us.
It was just after that when the Red Wing sirens went off. I turned on the NOAA weather channel on the marine radio. It was going to be close…Hastings, but I again thought it was going to miss us. With two sources telling me we’ll stay dry and out of harms way and one (the siren) I thought of all the times I’ve been caught in storms. I didn’t like it…so we packed up and headed in.
Two hours 9 fish with the largest coming in at 4 pounds, unless we count the 18 pounder that was quick released next to the boat. Hey! The one that gets away always gets bigger!!
We had a great time even if it was cut short. Had dinner at Red Wings Oak and Smoke which was very good, then called it a day.
The FW must have had a good time. We’re going back out tomorrow!
See ya fishing!
that one fish that got away grew 6 lbs in the span of a singal paragraph.
by any chance did you catch any good fish like 
Labor Day. 
